Town director of football Dave Bowman joined former Blues manager Mick McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor on the Republic of Ireland bench as they beat Gibraltar 1-0 in their opening European Championships qualifier this evening having taken on a role as a technical advisor with the FAI. Blues attacker Alan Judge was an unused sub, while ex-Town striker David McGoldrick created the winning goal for Burnley’s Jeff Hendrick three minutes after the break.
The 58-year-old has been given permission to take on the part-time position with Ireland while continuing his duties with Town.
Bowman joined the Blues in 2012 after McCarthy took over at Portman Road having previously worked with him at Wolves, Sunderland and during his previous stint in charge of Ireland.
Effectively the club’s chief scout despite his job title, Bowman remained at the club after McCarthy’s departure and now works with current boss Paul Lambert on recruitment.
We understand Sheffield Wednesday boss Steve Bruce recently showed interest in taking Bowman, who is out of contract in the summer, to Hillsborough.
Ireland host Georgia in their second qualifier at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Tuesday when Judge will hope to win his sixth full cap.